Ryan O’Hearn elaborates on night he’ll remember forever

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – A beer in one hand and his phone in the other, Pirates Ryan O’Hearn joined Dan Zangrilli on the Fan Reaction Show Tuesday night trying to wrap his mind around being one of 11 players all-time to hit three home runs with 10 RBIs in a single game as the Pirates beat Atlanta 12-4.

“What a special night, man,” O’Hearn said on 93.7 The Fan. “I really didn’t do anything different today, just saw the ball well. When I saw the first pitch, I was like, ‘I saw it pretty good’.”

But he did do something different tonight, he is one of fewer than a dozen players since they’ve been keeping track of runs batted in in 1920 to have three home runs and 10 RBIs in the same game.

“That’s insane,” O’Hearn told Zangrilli. “That doesn’t even register to me.”

More insanity, he told 93.7 The Fan his helmet from tonight’s game is going to be displayed in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

“The fact that I get to have something that is mine in Cooperstown is pretty unbelievable,” O’Hearn said on 93.7 The Fan.

The last home run gave him 100 for his career and he went over 60 RBIs and it’s the first time since 1990 (Barry Bonds, Bobby Bonilla) the Pirates had two players (Brandon Lowe the other) over 60 RBIs at the All-Star Break.

“I think as players we understand anything can happen out there and a majority of the time it is bad, just because we play a game of failure,” O’Hearn said on the Fan Reaction Show on 93.7 The Fan. “In the sixth inning, I was like ‘I’m doing it tonight’ which is pretty cool. To do something special and make some history is pretty unbelievable.”

Unbelievable is the word Pirates manager Don Kelly used as well.

“He’s a professional hitter,” Kelly said. “The at-bats he takes … how many times have we seen him go back side this year? Line drive to left field, catch the offspeed pitches out front, drive it out of the park to right, hitting a home run to center? Just the total approach that he takes every single time he’s in the box, he’s such a professional hitter. The way our lineup has ran out there, he brings a stability to it.”

Tuesday night he brought history to it. The last player to have three home runs and 10 batted in during one game was Shohei Ohtani in September of 2024.

“Yeah after I got in the dugout, I was like, ‘No kidding. 10 RBIs! That’s insane!’ It’s good for a month, but yeah, pretty incredible night,” O’Hearn said.

There was only one player who wasn’t impressed, in fact he said O’Hearn wasn’t being a team guy with what he did against the Braves at PNC Park Tuesday.

“I think it was kind of selfish, to be honest,” said Pirates All-Star Paul Skenes. “Everybody else was getting on, and then, home runs are rally killers. You hit a three-run home run or a grand slam and it's just like, what now? There's nobody on. Nobody can drive him in. Good for him, I guess.”

Ryan O'Hearn's historic night, Skenes gets win

Skenes then allowed a bit of a smile as even he couldn’t keep up the charade much longer after one of the most incredible accomplishments by any Pirates hitter, ever.

“No, it was pretty special to watch,” Skenes said. “That was probably the best performance I've seen from a teammate since I've been in the big leagues.”

For at least a little longer Tuesday night, maybe another beer or two, the 32-year-old reflected.

“Never. Never 10 RBIs, never hit three home runs in my life,” O’Hearn said. “Hit two [home runs] many times in high school and all that and college, but never three.”

“Today’s the day I’ll remember forever.”